It is often necessary for trained personnel to provide a variety of gases in a medical facility or other type of facility. Examples of such gases include medical air, oxygen, nitrogen, nitrous oxide, and carbon dioxide. Systems are also often installed in medical facilities which provide vacuum or gas evacuation. Gas service may be provided through a system which delivers the gas throughout a facility or portions or zones thereof. A number of primary supply sources of gas are used to deliver gas through outlet ports positioned at locations within the medical facility. The delivery system for each type of gas commonly includes manifolds with appropriate shut-off valves and pressure gauges. The primary supply source for each gas may be located in a secure area in the interior of the medical facility. Alternatively a primary supply source may be located at the exterior of the facility for maintenance by outside vendors providing the various gases.
It is critically important that the correct gas at the proper pressure be continuously supplied by the medical gas supply system. Consequently there exists a need for a system of supplying compressed gases that is operative to minimize interruption of the supply of the compressed gases. There also exists a need for a system of supplying compressed gases which can efficiently activate alarms responsive to changes to the supply of compressed gases to the system. In addition, there exists a need for a system of supplying compressed gases which is convertible for use with a plurality of different sources of compressed gases. Further there exists a need for a system of supply compressed gases which is less costly to produce.